Quote:
Originally Posted by Super_Dave_D
I disagree............
Where were the Russians from 39 to mid 41???? In a pact with Germany so they could take Poland!
The Finns kicked Russia's butt. Russia was probably the least talented military in WWII man for man. They simply had so many men that were of no value as human beings to their government that the Stalin just threw them at real armies in hopes that the real armies would get tired of killing them or run out of ammo to kill any more. If you read Bidermanns “In Deadly Combat”, he writes how the commissars kept sending people into his pak gun and supporting MG 42 that they were piling up and he became so sick of killing Russian after Russian wondering how their officers could keep sending them until they ran out of men to get killed.
No way Russia could have defeated Germany without the US and England's involvement and assistance.
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I never stated or implied the Russians were the good guys. This is not news. I've read that book and hundreds of others from all participants. I also have spent countless hours going through the American, British, French, Belgium, Swiss, Italian, Polish, and Austrian, German, Russian and Dutch military and historical archives. (BTW, did you know the Poles tried to make a pact with Germany to assist the Nazis in Czechoslovakia if they (the Poles) could have a little piece? Many WW II players’ hands were dirty.)
Your observation that the Russians had more (by 10s of millions) men and were willing to expend them is fairly correct. Please tell me how that relates to the discussion. The Russians were bad guys, so? How does that relate to the discussion that US efforts in WW II Europe were less than the Russian effort?
Let's review the facts;
The overwhelmingly cause of German casualties in WW II was the Russians.
The Western Front was used virtually to the end of the war as a rest and refit location for the German Military.
The Lend Lease to Russia amounted to about 7% or Russia’s total production capacities. The most important items the US sent was transport trucks, gold braid, radios and aluminum. Most of which did not arrive in any quantities until mid 1943, after Stalingrad in the early part of 1943, ( the turning point on the Eastern Front) where the Russians beat the Germans by a combined arms approach encircling battle that was by all examination quite masterful.
The largest tank battle was on the Eastern Front, the largest battle in WW II was on the Eastern Front. The highest production of any single aircraft was on the Eastern Front (Russian of course), the largest artillery barrages were on the Eastern Front.
There is no concrete evidence that Russia could not have defeated Germany alone. I am not saying it would be easy, but they had proved they were the equal overall on the battle field. Man for man comparisons only work on a man to man matchup.
We are discussing the largest land battles recorded, involving millions of men.
These popular myths of what American did for Europe (especially the WW I story) were told to the American public and were sucked up as fact. The historical evidence tells a vastly different story, even from the American Military archives.
Have you researched any of those?